Reuel Williams

Reuel Williams (June 2, 1783 – July 25, 1862) was an American lawyer and politician who served one term as a U.S. Senator from Maine from 1837 to 1843.

Reuel Williams
United States Senator from Maine
In office March 4, 1837 – February 15, 1843
Preceded by	Judah Dana
Succeeded by	John Fairfield
Personal details
Born	June 2, 1783 Hallowell, Maine
Died	July 25, 1862 (aged 79) Augusta, Maine
Resting place	Augusta, Maine
Political party	Democratic
Profession	Law

Early life and career

Born in Hallowell, Maine to Seth Williams and Zilpha Ingraham, he attended Hallowell Academy, and went on to study law. He was admitted to the bar in 1804, commencing practice in Augusta, Maine.

Political career

He was a member of the Maine Legislature, in the two houses of the legislature, from 1812 to 1829 and again in 1832 and 1848.[1] He was commissioner of public buildings in 1831. He served as a presidential elector on the Democratic ticket in 1836.

In 1837, he was elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Ether Shepley and served from March 4, 1837, to February 15, 1843, when he resigned.

While in the Senate he served as chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Naval Affairs.

Private life

He was also the manager of the Kennebec & Portland Railroad for 12 years. He died in Augusta, aged 79, and was interred in his family's cemetery on the banks of the Kennebec River in Augusta.

His son, Joseph H. Williams, also a politician, was elected Governor of Maine. Daughter, Jane E. Williams, married Unitarian minister and author Sylvester Judd on August 31, 1841; they had three children. Daughter Helen A. Williams married John Taylor Gilman originally of Exeter, New Hampshire.[2] After his death, she was remarried to Charles H. Bell of Exeter, New Hampshire.

He died in Augusta, aged 79, and was interred in his family's cemetery on the banks of the Kennebec River in Augusta.

References

1. 'Memoirs of the Judiciary And The Bar of New England For The Nineteenth Century With A History Of The Judicial System Of New England,' Volume I, Conrad Reno-editor, The Century Memorial Company, Boston, Massachusetts: 1901, Biographical Sketch of Reuel Williams, pg. 43-44
2. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=nyp.33433082368980;view=1up;seq=49

• Poor, John A. Memoir of Hon. Reuel Williams, Prepared for the Maine Historical Society. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Priv. print. H.O. Houghton and Company, 1864. googlebooks Retrieved May 3, 2008

• United States Congress. "Reuel Williams (id: W000532)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.